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On Thursday night, the Vancouver Canucks played the Anaheim Ducks. Within seconds, Dan Hamhuis tripped on the skate of Daniel Sedin and slid into the boards.

He lay there motionless until the whistle blew the play dead. It was then that all fans knew something was wrong.

Henrik Sedin came to help the crippled Hamhuis off the ice as the fans were at their quietest on that night.

Since the incident, it has been reported by multiple sources that the veteran blue liner could be out “for months” with a lower body injury.

The Vancouver Canucks now find themselves in a vulnerable position. If Dan Hamhuis were to be out until February, it would for a total of 27 games.

In wake of the injury, the Canucks have called up Frank Corrado from the Utica Comets. Though calling him up has been the first plan of action, it is highly unlikely the Canucks can brush off missing a Top-4 defenseman.

At some point it may become plausible to make a trade to tighten up the ranks. In order to maintain their position among the toughest division in the NHL, it may be in their best interest to make this decision.

It is difficult to make these calls when it is not known how many months a key player is out, but it has to be done. The Canucks already have found themselves in a difficult position with a thin defensive line.

It appears that Luca Sbisa is not ready to take on a top 4 role in the roster and may require another year of development. Placing Corrado in Hamhuis’ spot would not be the wisest in the long run either. He is not NHL caliber and needs more time to season his play.

All in all, it is up to management to decide how they will patch up this gaping hole in the blue line.

Until then, Canucks fans will be wishing Dan Hamhuis a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the ice soon.

The Vancouver Canucks announced today that Manny Malhotra will not return this season, or for the playoffs after suffering a severe eye injury.

While this loss is no doubt a big one for the Canucks and their fans, there is no one affected more than Manny himself. We thought it would be a nice gesture for fans to leave a comment here giving thanks to Manny for his efforts this year and to offer words of encouragement and hope for a full and speedy recovery.

So, this post is nothing more than that, a get well card for Manny. Please spread the word and leave your thoughts and wishes!

Hopefully we get a ton of comments here, and I’ll print them off and forward them to the Canucks and in return Manny.